OCO statement on proposed social media restrictions for children under 16

We welcome that Government is taking the need to keep children safe online extremely seriously and is looking at ways to prevent children from accessing harmful content. We know that children themselves want to be able to enjoy being online without the risk of coming across harmful material or bad actors. The OCO supports effective age verification to tackle this issue. However, we are concerned that introducing restrictions like we’ve seen in Australia, may prevent children from fully enjoying their rights online, including freedom of expression, play and access to information. It could also have a disproportionate impact on marginalised children who seek connection online.

We are concerned that a ban creates the illusion of safety, taking responsibility away from social media companies and putting it back on the young person. As we have heard from media reports today, children in Australia are finding ways around the ban, with many retrieving their accounts that were initially shutdown. There is a risk too that teenagers might then find themselves in less regulated spaces, where they are potentially afraid to report abuses or harm for fear of getting into trouble.

If a decision is made to pilot a social media ban here in Ireland, some key questions for the OCO are:

• Have children’s view been taken into account and given due regard in the development of these measures?
• What changes are we asking the social media companies to make during the time the ban is in place to make their sites safer?
• What consideration has been given to children’s other rights, other than the right to be protected from abuse and harm, when deciding these measures?
• Is a Children’s Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) incorporated into the design and evaluation of the pilot?
• How will the age verification tools be developed and will a CRIA be carried out on these measures?
• What platforms will be included and what obligations are placed on them to respect children’s rights?

The risk posed to children online is not a simple one to solve and we know that we are all on the same page in wanting to protect children from harm. We strongly support a “Child Rights by Design” approach to online safety which will ensure children’s rights, safety and wellbeing are built into digital products and services from the outset, not as an afterthought.

 

• 18 February 2026